Chennai remembers tsunami victims with tears

Today is the 12th anniversary of the deadly tsunami that struck the city in 2004 and killed many. Memorial events are being conducted in the seashore amid tears by fishermen community.

It’s been twelve years since the catastrophe struck, but the fishing community continues to grapple with changes in the seascape.

India’s capability to transmit early warnings of a possible tsunami is all set to be further bolstered with a major facility being established in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

A network of 35 motion accelerometers and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers is being set up on the island. It will vastly improve the tsunami-warning services under the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC), based in Hyderabad under the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Systems (INCOIS).

The tsunami left over 9000 people dead and many more homeless in India, Sri Lanka and South-East Asia. On the day of the tsunami, the death toll was 131 in Chennai; Nagapattinam was worst-hit with 788 deaths, and in Kanyakumari, around 392 people died

Jayalalithaa, who was chief minister then, announced a Rs 153.37 crore relief package, divided into a general package and a separate one for fishermen. Families would get Rs 1 lakh as compensation for every member lost, along with one dhoti, one sari, two bedsheets, 60 kg of rice, three litres of kerosene, and Rs 1,000 in cash for groceries. Furthermore, Rs 1,000 was to be given for purchase of utensils, Rs 2,000 so they could put up accommodation.